Malvern Star SuperMax, Maxi and Speedwell Sting
While researching information for my '81 SuperMax, '83 Speedwell Sting and up-coming '79 5-Hole gusset builds, I got so sick of finding information then losing it again that I started copying images of bikes, parts and advertising material into a single place. To assist others, I have reproduced this information over the following pages .. most of the information can be found on OzBMX and BMXMuseum and I am not pretending that this informtion will replace either of these valuable resources.
Please browse through all of the material I have collected:
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If you have any Malvern Star or Speedwell information or photos, please forward them to me and I will add them to the site. I am especially interested in brochures and advertisements as these are most valuable when restoring bikes back to their original glory.
Restorations
- Zuno555: Series II Malvern Star Maxi
- Filmote: 5 Hole SuperMax
- OzBMXBandit: Series II SuperMax BMX Bandits Replica
OzBMXBandit: Series II SuperMax BMX Bandits Replica
Known as OzBMXBandit on the forums, Trent is obviously a little obsessed with the film and more importantly the distinctive black and gold Supermax that Nicole Kidman rode. This isn't the first replica he has built (view the original here) but when finished it will probably be the best example in Australia.
I have been following his thread on OzBMX and the wait has been painfull - collecting the correct parts for a build is never a quick process but when you have set your goal on NOS or mint it takes a little longer.
Inspiration from the Film
I would love to be able to say that if you haven't seen the film BMX Bandits then your life isn't complete but the reality is this film is quite forgettable. The film's plot leaves a lot to be desired however the film itself does have some good BMX scenes including plenty of stunts and bmx / car chases.
BMX Bandits was released in Australia on the 29 December 1983 and featured Nicole Kidman in her first film. It was predominantly filmed in Manly with the grave yard scenes filmed in Waverley. After grossing $124,649 at the box office in Australia, the film was released around the world including Japan and France. More information about the film can be found here.
To ensure the accuracy of the build, Trent has spent a lot of time 'freeze-framing' sections of the film to allow him to accurately identify parts.
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The pads on Nicole's bike have always intrigued me. Firstly, the set is obviously for a handlebar with a straight cross-bar rather than 'V' bars on her bike and - secondly - to my knowledge Malvern Star SuperMaxes never had stem pads yet this bike has one. In the last photo, Trent has been able to identify the stem pad as a Mongoose one! Both Maurice and the Mongoose logo are visible in the picture.
Collecting the Parts
Assembling the parts for this build has taken a long time with parts coming from eBay sellers around the globe and locally from forums such as OzBMX. Some of the parts found locally include the NOS Nitto MX-2 (FluckaDuck), NOS Nitto post (also FluckaDuck), NOS Shimano Tourneys (RadPad), NOS Shimano DX levers (Rocket) and NOS Takagi cranks (Cuckoo). A quick look at the build thread shows the support Trent has received, there are numerous offers for parts and links to parts found on the Museum and on eBay.
Frame and Forks
As mentioned, Trent already has a BMX Bandits replica but upon seeing this NOS frame on eBay, he thought he could do better. The frame and forks are in beautiful condition however the forks were bought separately to the frame and therefore do not sport the correct decals. It is unfortunate that the frame and forks are not a matched pair as this makes dating the frame hard - the serial numbers on these bikes are meaningless and give no indication of age whereas the Tange forks are stamped with a manufacture date.
Trent has drawn up the decals for the forks and is currently looking for someone who can screen print them rather than print them electronically to match the frames decals.
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Skyway Tuffs
By analysing stills from the movie, Trent was able to determine that Nicole's original bike had Series II Tuffs with the metal flanges. To find these wheels in NOS condition is almost impossible and the cost prohibitive thus Trent settled for reproduction Tuffs.
No sooner had he purchased the reproduction set, an original set became available on eBay and these were snapped up to replace the reproduction ones. Trent stripped out the guts, degreased both the hubs and wheels and left them to dry out. Once they dried out, he went over them with the Chux magic sponge to erase all but the most stubborn of stains. After hours of scrubbing he gave them both a couple coats of Mothers plastic / rubber restorer to bring out the original colour and eliminate that chalkiness you get with old Tuffs.
The reproduction Tuffs is in the first image with the original ones in the second and third.
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Handlebars, Stem, Pads and Grips
After identifying the stem pad as a Mongoose item, the rest of the parts were easily identified through footage from the film. The WIN bars appear to be a little different from Nicole's bike: they are narrower than her's and the cross-bar appears a little lower. It is possible that the bars on her were made by either Nitto or WIN but other SuperMax models used WIN Alps bars in both CrMo and alloy.
The grips are Grab-Ons MX3. As with most parts on this build, these are getting rare as even when new the foam grips were known to last a very short time and would perish in the elements. Thanks go to FluckaDuck for the amazing NOS Nitto MX2 stem - I have four of these stems and I know how hard they are to find in mint condition and I also know how much this example would cost - ouch!
The Shimano DX levers are my favourite and feature on both of my SuperMax builds. Rather than pull on the cable as traditional levers do, DX levers are designed to 'push' or squeeze the outer casing of the cable instead resulting in a different feel when braking.
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Seat, Post and Clamp
Trent learnt a valuable lesson when procuring the Kashimax Aero seat for this build. The terms 'New Old Stock' and simply 'New' are often used interchangeably by the ignorant and those looking to profit from others ignorance. When Trent's first Kashimax seat arrived, he quickly discovered it was a newly manufactured item rather than the original he was sold. All credit to the seller who immediately refunded the money when alerted to his mistake however I wonder if he knew and was simply hoping that the Trent would not?
The seat post also came from FluckaDuck and is a NOS Nitto post - extremely rare nowadays as most of these have ended up on Kuwahara rebuilds. The Tange seat clamp is one of two tracked down for the build. The original clamp did not fit the SuperMax frame an Trent located a second example only to find it did not fit the frame either! Turns out that the frame was probably a little flared at the top and with a little coaxing the clamp was made to fit.
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Pedals, Cranks, Brakes and other bits
To some, Shimano DX pedals are the best '80s pedals available and the price these attract reflect that belief and their scarcity. Finding a set of NOS Shimano DX pedals in Gold was always going to be difficult but to find a set in 1/2" rather than the more common 9/16" would seem near impossible. After missing out on a set in the UK, Trent found a set in the US and mortgaged his house to buy this set. When they arrived, they were still in the original packaging and had very little shelf-ware.
SuperMaxes came with either Takagi Tourney 3pc cranks or a Takagi 1pc crank. Most one piece cranks featured the large alloy chainguard as seen here but Trent was able to identify that Nicole's bike used the light-weight chainring that was fitted to some models, such as the Malvern Star SuperMax Turbo. Read the Malvern Star Turbo review from Pancake magazine here.
The Shimano Tourney brakes came from RadPad who seems to have found a stash of these in NOS condition somewhere in Hobart. These brakes were available with and without a quick release lever that allows the calipers to be opened and the wheels removed without tools - perfect for a quick change of tyres in the event of a puncture or to swap the rear cog ratio (altough this assumes that you do not need to adjust the wheel position to take or or loosed the chain and therefore need to adjust the brake pads). Trent is on the lookout for a NOS set of brake caps that protect the center bolt of the caliper - these are relatively easy to find for Dia Compe calipers but are unfortunately stamped DC. I have never seen a set of these and I have had four or five sets of NOS brakes with some arriving in the original packaging. The early 1980 Malvern Star catalogue (reproduced here) clearly shows them fitted to the bikes.
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Work in Progress
Although not complete, Trent has provided the following pictures. As you can see the bike is coming together nicely but he is still waiting on a couple of items including printing decals for the forks and getting the chainring annodised gold.
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What Next?
Once complete, Trent has promised to do a proper photo shoot. My guess though is that this bike will not be ridden - its simply too good!
